Vegan Whoopie Pies

In July I took my birthday cake over to some friends’ house to share with them and their 3-year-old daughter. She always gets excited when I bring over treats. She likes sugar, so obviously we’re friends.

While we were all enjoying our dessert, I remarked that the cake consistency with the coconut whipped cream frosting reminded me of whoopie pies! Actually, I said, “I could totally make these into ho hos.” But after a quick google search, my terminology was corrected.

This recipe is simple, requiring just 1 bowl, easy methods, and basicingredients.

Plus, it also comes together in about 2 hours (after your coconut cream is chilled overnight). The extra planning ahead is totally worth the effort.

These whoopie pies are amazing! They’re:

Fluffy
Tender
Chocolate-y
Coconut-y
Perfectly sweet
& Satisfying

Make these as a lighter dessert to have on hand during the week, or for special occasions like birthdays, baby showers, parties and more. Since they’re both vegan and gluten free, they’re the perfect treat everyone can enjoy.

Three more perks? They’re naturally sweetened (besides the coconut whipped cream), 170 calories each, and can be made up to a couple days in advance so you can plan ahead and save time.

If you give these a try, let us know by leaving a comment and rating the recipe! It’s super helpful for us. And while you’re at it, take a picture and tag it #minimalistbaker on Instagram so we can see! We love seeing what you come up with. Cheers, friends!

In a large mixing bowl, prepare your coconut whipped cream with your chilled coconut cream. Follow these instructions to make a double batch, sweetened to taste (I found 6-8 Tbsp (42-56 g) to be the right amount). Transfer whipped cream to a large freezer bag (for piping) and set in the refrigerator to chill completely. Rinse out the mixing bowl to use for the batter.

Transfer batter to the refrigerator to chill/thicken for 20 minutes, and preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease two large baking sheets with non-stick spray (if you don’t have two baking sheets, just use one and bake the cakes in 4 batches).

Once the oven is preheated, scoop out 1 heaping Tbsp amount of batter onto the prepared baking sheets, leaving at least 1-inch of room for spreading. Use your tablespoon to slightly spread them into a small disc. One standard baking sheet should fit 12 cakes. Repeat on second baking sheet.

Bake for 10-14 minutes, or until the edges appear dry. (I found 12 minutes to be the perfect time.) Remove from oven and let rest on baking sheet for 5 minutes, then carefully transfer to cooling racks to cool completely.

Repeat this process, baking the mini cakes until all batter is used - you should have about 48 total cakes.

Once the cakes are completely cooled to the touch, clip a small corner of the coconut whipped cream bag off and pipe a generous amount (see photo) of coconut whipped cream onto the under-side of 24 cakes. Carefully top with another cake of similar size and shape and press down slightly.

Arrange on large serving plates or a cooled baking sheet and cover loosely with plastic wrap. You can enjoy these immediately; however, I found them to hold up better after 1 hour of refrigeration (and even better after 6 hours or overnight).

Leftovers will keep covered with plastic wrap in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.

Notes

*For the gluten free flour blend, I've tested both with my DIY Blend and Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free 1:1 Baking Blend and found that I slightly preferred the Bob's blend in terms of the cake's texture. However, both will do!*Nutrition information is a rough estimate for 1 whoopie pie of 24 with generous amounts of coconut whipped cream filling.*Prep time does not include chilling coconut cream overnight.*Adapted from my 1-Bowl Chocolate Hazelnut Cake.

I made these this morning… for some reason my little whoopie pies came out really, really flat! I followed the recipe perfectly, I swear. Any reason why these guys didn’t rise a little more? Yours look so fluffy… :(

I made these a few weeks ago for a family party and didn’t tell anyone they were gluten and dairy-free beforehand (besides my cousin who has both gluten and dairy allergies) and everyone loved them without even knowing the difference. The cake/cookies were divine, and although I don’t think my coconut cream ended up as whipped-creamy as the photos, I added peanut butter to it making peanut butter chocolate whoopie pies (SO GOOD) and that made up for the lack of volume in my whipped cream.

OMG, I just made these and my husband and I can’t get enough. Going to make a double batch tomorrow! Also, they freeze super nice. Just freeze on a baking sheet for a few hours and wrap individually. Take them out an hour before you want to eat them to unthaw. Perfect weekday treat!!! (and almost guilt free!) Thank you so much for this recipe!! I’m new(ish) to your site and can’t wait to explore your other recipes.

Hi Dana,
I want to make these for my son’s birthday celebration at school. I just want to check on the melting factor? Should I make them and them freeze or refrigerate them?
thanks!
Love your recipes!

These vegan whoopie pies are THE BEST! I’ve made them twice now, and each time I make them I get so many comments about how delicious they are! In order to keep them fresh, I store the cookies/cakes and the filling separately until just before they’re ready to be eaten. Healthy and delicious! Thanks for sharing this recipe!

I am trying as much as possible to cut out all unnecessary oils from my diet. I noticed that there is both oil and applesauce in this recipe. I have used applesauce in place of oils in the past, and my desserts have come out just fine taste-wise. In this instance, would it be perfectly fine to leave out the oil and add in an extra 1/4 cup applesauce in place of it? Thanks for your baking expertise!

I made these and they turned out AWFUL! The filling was runny and did not look anything like the photo pictured above. I used coconut milk on the first try and it was so soupy I threw it out. The second try was coconut cream and it was just a tad less runny than the coconut milk. Disappointing!!

I live in Kenya and can get most things on your recipes but one thing I struggle to find its applesauce. ( I found a tiny jar of it for the equivalent of $6!) I did try cooking up loads of apples to make my own but it made a recipe into a really long affair, can you think of a simple sub I could use?

Comment Policy: We do our best to respond particularly on new recipes, but don’t have the ability to respond to every comment. The most useful comments include feedback and ratings on the recipe, ingredients you modified, or helping other commenters. Insults and disrespectful comments are not accepted. Please do not include links not pertinent to the discussion.

For common substitutions and frequently asked questions, check out our Recipe FAQ and shop.

Comment

Your email address will not be published or shared. Required fields are marked *

Name *

Email *

Website

I Made this

I Have a Question

Notify me of followup comments via e-mail. You can also subscribe without commenting. You will not be subscribed to our newsletter list.

Rate this recipe (after you've made it):

Hi, I'm Dana! I create simple, delicious recipes that require 10 ingredients or less, one bowl, or 30 minutes or less to prepare.